2013-09-20
Phones
We
discussed phones. This is the reason we avoid the rain like the plague.
They all cost too much. They have become required equipment. We all
used them to check out the radar to tell if the rain was as bad as it
looked out the window. It was.
We
discussed batteries and methods of charging. I like the solar panel
idea, but the guy I was talking to said dragging around a solar panel is
surprisingly difficult. He suggested getting one of the huge 10 amp
storage batteries. It charge your phone for a week.
Games
We
went over several phone games but the main topic of games covered the
Minecraft knockoff games that give it a first Person Shooter feal. There
was also a discussion of the difference between first and third person
gaming. We decided the difference is if you are playing the character
and aim their shots and such, it is still a first person even if you are
looking over their shoulder.
Grid Computing
Remember
SETI @Home. We discussed it. We agreed they never should have
disconnected the idea of gaming the system with more powerful computers.
They also never should have made chips automatically kick in to power
save mode when a human is not blathering away in front of the screen.
We
spoke of using smart phones to run SETI packets. it’s possible ,but the
guy I was speaking with had some issues. His phone while on the car
charger is multitasking the following tasks.
- Downloading map information
- Running display on 100%
- Speaking directions
- Connecting to the stereo via bluetooth
- Streaming music to said stereo
Just
because the phone is plugged in, does not mean it has spare bandwidth
to run an additional ap to do something that is not helping him get on
in his life at that specific moment. The phone can be on the car charger
and the battery will discharge if he doesn’t cut one of the above
tasks.
Rain
On
the way out the door, I decided to catch a ride with David instead of
our normal walk. This turned out to be a good decision. The rain was
coming down in buckets by the time we pulled out of Beck’s Prime.
Beck’s
Prime is too expensive. They make a good burger and a good malt. I had
both today. I spent a fortune. I had planned on eating about 45 cents
worth of noodles. I spent $16 instead. I’m a dumbass. It was fun and I
got to spend some good face time with the coworkers. I spent far too
much money doing it. How do these people afford these kinds of lunches
every day?
It
has been so long since we had a good amount of rain. People are afraid
to ask for rain in Houston. They do not want a hurricane. My fence is
pulling away from the house. The ground is cracking. The pipes are
bursging. It is late summer and we are still behind on our rain for the
year.
Josh
Josh
used a borrowed umbrella to head back to the office. he passed us as we
came in from the parking garage. He was headed out. He had used the
umbrella to come back to the office to get his large car and run back to
gather the stranglers so they would not have to get wet. The rain was
coming down sideways. He got soaked. I hope the others remember his
sacrifice.
Conclusion
Do you now understand why I blow the money and go to lunches occasionally? The comradery is too important to never go.
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